Louisiana Gets Green Light For The Enforcement Of Many Traffic Safety Laws

The Bayou State is one of seven listed as a “best state” in the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety report. Tara Gill, the Director of State Programs, says the ignition interlock offender law for convicted drunk drivers is one reason Louisiana scored high.

"An offender is required to blow into it before they're allowed to start the vehicle. And the vehicle won't start unless they're sober."

Distracted driving has been the cause of many fatalities and Gill praises the efforts of the state in enforcing no texting while driving legislation. She says there’s more that can be done to discourage cell phone use while driving.

"Broaden it to include a ban on the other uses of cell phones such as videos, apps, gaming and photos while driving."

757 traffic fatalities were reported in Louisiana in 2016, many of those were young children. Gill says while the state ranks well in many areas, it’s critical Louisiana enforce better child restraint laws.

"You're in the red for your child passenger safety laws. So there's an opportunity to upgrade your booster seat law and require that child remain rear facing until age two."
It’s estimated the annual economic cost due to motor vehicle crashes in Louisiana is nearly 5.7-billion-dollars.